Alright heres what i wear most of the time.
Purple Surgicle gloves
Normal clown paint not overly scary i just look pretty much like a normal clown except my makeup glows.
A black jumpsuit with green frills and pink green and yellow pokla dots.
A little cap that matches the jumpsuit with a green ball on the end.
And a sqeeker horn..
I mean yesterday i shaved a smiley face into my hair so theres no way my hair looks like the jokers.
Infact the only connection i can make between him and me is the voice even though in my opinion i dont sound like him AT ALL.

In regards to customers calling you the Joker, they tend to not always be the brightest creatures and tend to associate the lastest pop culture craze with any act they see.

After The Ring came out, I dealt with two years of being called "The girl from the ring" simply because I have long hair (and its not even black and I looked nothing like her). Customers also call any male haunt actor with long hair "Marilyn Manson" too.

I usually just ignore them, and there isn't anything you can specifically do to avoid the comment. Just wait for the trend to die and by next year there will be less references to the Joker.

My 1989 Oldsmobile Spookmobile with big mouth, teeth, tongue and moving arms across the hood, with a shark fin on the roof was called the "Car from the movie "Jeepers Creepers" by a kid....not too close to the 1949 truck used in the movie.

I have thought about haunted houses way to much, and I have a theory on Clowns. I will also state that they are way overdone, they have been a haunt crutch for a long time. The reason I think they scare people is subconscious. a form of genetic fear, Brightly colored animals are showing off that they are either dangerous or poisonous. Snakes and insects are often vibrantly colored for that reason. Also Bright colors are used to signify caution or danger all the time bright orange highway cones, big red fire trucks (so folks get out of the way) So why wouldn't it be unsettling for someone to paint their skin in bright colors?
Allen H

The other most painfully obvious reason(s) would be simply who would paint their face in the first place? Someone who wanted to do a crime and not be recognised or a comando about to take your life?
Or just a total nutcase who might be doing who knows what?
When the Romans met the Englanders in battle they painted their naked bodies blue, hence the term "Briton".
So as a Roman soldier you had been around the known world, seen all kinds of looking humans...then here come a bunch of blue-skinned crazed creatures!!!
"Drizzle, drazzle drome, time for this one to run home!"
Maybe the term "Shock Value" could sum it all up?
Distract your opponent for a quick second or two and the victory may swing the other direction.

Chiming in a little late here, but I think the topic is still pertinent.

To me, it's just like Jim and Allen say: who on Earth would want/need to paint their faces? The person who is painting his face is out to deceive, for whatever reason.

The ones that creep me out the most are the ones that pretend to be "nice." Think about it: why paint a big red smile on your face when you could just smile?!

If a haunted house could leverage that deception, then all the better. I think it defeats the purpose of deception to have a scary-faced clown. Painting a scary face does exaggerate the menace, though, I suppose.

For those haunts that use guides, it might be cool to have a "sweet" clown take the patrons through the haunt, who then turns on them near the end. The patrons would have to wonder whether this guy was gonna freak. Nerve-wracking!

Originally Posted by Jim Warfield

The other most painfully obvious reason(s) would be simply who would paint their face in the first place? Someone who wanted to do a crime and not be recognised or a comando about to take your life?
Or just a total nutcase who might be doing who knows what?
When the Romans met the Englanders in battle they painted their naked bodies blue, hence the term "Briton".
So as a Roman soldier you had been around the known world, seen all kinds of looking humans...then here come a bunch of blue-skinned crazed creatures!!!
"Drizzle, drazzle drome, time for this one to run home!"
Maybe the term "Shock Value" could sum it all up?
Distract your opponent for a quick second or two and the victory may swing the other direction.

I do that frequently. And believe it or not i read a thesis on fear by my uncle the other day. Who was writing it for his Phd in phsycology. He conducted an experiment with a child, a baby. I am not sure on the details as i read it within the month. Um yeah it turns out it is NOT genetic. The only fear that people have when they are born is fear of loud noises, and the dark. Which isnt essentially fear of the dark its fear of the unknown. They discovered that everything else is a "learned" fear. The learned fear was for many people Tim Curry in Stephen Kings IT. Also John Wayne Gacy helped contribute to this "learned" fear of clowns. People who are scared of spiders might have had a traumatic experience with one as a child. Usually its movies that teach people these fears, but knowing someone who is attacked by a snake or a wolf or something can creat a learned fear of these animals.
But yeah thats my character, total split personality, was all cheerfull when i first met them (I am a rover so i always meet groups atleast twice...its a massive haunt) then the next time they see me "Oh its that cool clown..he aint scary!" then i turn on them in an instant. But i also agree with Jim and Allen that who needs to paint their face? They automatically can stir suspicion. But thanks for your post even though it is a little late!
-Dr. G.